Pages

Categories

January 14, 2016

The Benefit of Accepting Different Viewpoints

One of the advantages of the Information Age is the exposure to a variety
of viewpoints, lifestyles, and cultures.
It’s true diversity, not only the “diversity”
that’s accepted only as long as it conforms to a given political philosophy.

We often find that we have a lot in common with the person who lives
halfway across the world from us. Their language, manner of dress, food,
lifestyle, and manner of worship may differ from ours. Their basic wants and
needs are the same, though. We all want
to feel loved and accepted.

The Alliance for
Self-Published Authors

I belong to this Google+ community.
Members include authors from around the world.Our preferred genres range from
nonfiction to fantasy to romance. Our cultures, writing styles, and tastes
differ. Group members don’t even think alike, judging by various conversation
threads. Yet, we try to support each other’s work.

My Daughter

Her two best friends are Catholic and Hindu. My family are members of a
Christian denomination. Religious differences don’t bother the young ladies. They concentrate on their commonalities:

Shared intrests in music and entertainment

Academic excellence

Priority on family

Touched by an Angel

This is a
Christian drama series from the early 1990’s. A recent episode featured a young
archaeologist who was digging in a spot sacred to the Navajo Indians. It was sacred because some Navajo had been slaughtered there by the government
in the 1800’s. The tribal council wanted the archaeologist to stop digging, but
he refused.

The young
man was of Jewish descent, but he didn’t practice the faith. In fact, he had
married a Catholic lady. His estranged grandfather, Paul, arrived on the scene
of the dig. He wanted to reconcile with his grandson.

The Jewish
grandfather and the Navajo tribal elder found they had many things in common, including
the massacre of many of their people. They learned to respect each other’s
spiritual beliefs and values. They tried to get the archaeologist to do the
same.

Sadly, the
ailing Paul died. The Jewish grandfather was buried on the sacred Navajo
ground. At the funeral, the Navajo elder said a few words. Then, the
archaeologist read from a traditional Jewish prayer book—possibly for the first
time ever. The cultures blended seamlessly.

My Conclusion

When you
scratch the surface, we aren’t really so different. Despite variations in
culture, language, values, and appearance, we share the same basic needs.

We are all on this journey together. Our lives will be enriched if we open
ourselves to a variety of perspectives.

Luke 10:30-36 tells the story of The Good Samaritan. A Jewish man was
robbed, beaten, and left for dead on a certain road. Two religious Jewish
people passed by him on the other side of the street. It was the passerby from
Samaria, a nearby province scorned by the Jewish people, who helped the wounded
man. He didn’t worry about differences. The Samaritan saved the man’s life and financed
his recovery.